1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to electronic components and more particularly to Z-directed electronic components for insertion into a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following co-pending United States patent applications, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application, describe various “Z-directed” components that are intended to be embedded or inserted into a printed circuit board (“PCB”): Ser. No. 12/508,131 entitled “Z-Directed Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,145 entitled “Z-Directed Pass-Through Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,158 entitled “Z-Directed Capacitor Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,188 entitled “Z-Directed Delay Line Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,199 entitled “Z-Directed Filter Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,204 entitled “Z-Directed Ferrite Bead Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,215 entitled “Z-Directed Switch Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” Ser. No. 12/508,236 entitled “Z-Directed Connector Components for Printed Circuit Boards,” and Ser. No. 12/508,248 entitled “Z-Directed Variable Value Components for Printed Circuit Boards.”
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing primarily uses two types of components. The first type is a pin through-hole part that uses metallic leads that are soldered into a plated through-hole in the PCB. The second type is a surface mount part that sits on the surface of a PCB and is attached by soldering to pads on the surface. As densities of components for printed circuit boards have increased and higher frequencies of operation are used, some circuits' designs have become very difficult to achieve. The Z-directed components described in the foregoing patent applications are designed to improve the component densities and frequencies of operation. The Z-directed components occupy less space on the surface of a PCB and for high frequency circuits, e.g. clock rates greater than 1 GHz, allow for higher frequency of operation. The foregoing patent applications describe various types of Z-directed components including, but not limited to, capacitors, delay lines, transistors, switches, and connectors.
Transmission line impedance discontinuities are a problem in circuits utilizing a high frequency signal. These discontinuities may cause signal attenuation and other parasitic effects. Accordingly, a component that provides a substantially constant transmission line impedance is often desired. Another problem with high frequency circuits is the generation and receipt of electromagnetic interference (EMI). A significant source of EMI in a circuit is its loop area. A circuit having a greater loop area may be more prone to pick up an unwanted signal or radiate unwanted energy that may interfere with its operation or the operation of other circuits nearby. Accordingly, a component having a minimal loop area is often desired.